My single car garage is my handyman/landscape tool storage area and I'm worried about what would happen if my tools are stolen. I get nervous this time of year and my garage is packed with expensive tools. So I want to learn more ways of sercuring it. Security systems of some type that will work for just the garage or the whole house. My house is hardwired for a security system (brain is bad and everything is old) but the security cos all want a 3 year contract.

I'm not planning on living here three more years so I want to install some type of alarm myself. And if I can start cheap with a garage only alarm I'd be happy. Anyone have a garage alarm or have installed their own house system? I've seen the wireless alarms on ebay and wonder if those work? Any help is apreciated.
Thanks

mak2

11-02-2005, 07:35 AM

In a past life I was an insurance agent. Statisically if you have a Doberman or other dog your place just doesnt get broken into by a stranger, unless you have a special reason, like diamonds or specialized equiptment. If bad guys can go to the house next door that does not have a dog they will. It is just eaiser. Any dog that barks or bites is a deterrent. On the other hand, I have had dobies for the last 12 years. They are the smartest, eaisest to train, great mannered dogs. They are incredibly loyal and territoryal. My agent was suppose to report me to the company 10 years ago for having "vicious dogs" it is their fear of liability. A dobie can cost an insurnace company more in one bite than it can save in money lost in robberies over 10 years. But I never had to worry about my kids or wife when I worked nights.

Popper357

11-02-2005, 09:06 AM

Nice
I'm with you about dobies. I like dogs and have a pitt whos super smart and a great friend. She's not the best guard dog but I believe she is effective at keeping unwanted intruders away. But my tool collection is getting very pricey and I want more. Thanks

topdog

11-02-2005, 09:13 AM

my garage got broken into a couple years ago. i got up to go to work in the morning and they had used a car jack, and jacked up my garage door. they toke everything down to my trash cans, and droors out of a cabinet. so, they could carry everything in it. i didn't feel safe cause myself and my wife were in the house only 50 feet away, so i decided to get a big dog. i ended up getting two saint bernards. they arent really mean, but they are big and have a big bark. i once got a letter from the power company asking me to make sure they are not out in the yard (fenced in) on certain days due to they are intimadating to the meter person. all they would do is lick ya to death, and drool over ya. but i think it has made a world of difference.
i also installed a motion light right next to the garage door since it connects to an alley.

mak2

11-02-2005, 09:22 AM

I might be wrong, but if they want your tools bad enough to take on your pit bull an alarm wont help. My father in law has a barn in the country that I could put my equiptment in over the winter, but I am afraid to for exactly the same fear you have. Good luck, hope it is as nice in Kansas City as it is suppose to be in Indy today.

topdog

11-02-2005, 09:24 AM

Indiana!!!!

joe4

11-02-2005, 09:48 AM

Try here http://www.cctvforum.com

Good advice.

You can never be "secure” it is not a state of being but a process. It just depends on how much money you want to spend. A bank is not secure but they are more secure than my house.

I would start with CCTV, wired alarm and a big gun, you can have your cctv system email a pic to your phone when it detects motion. Dogs are good but no match for a sleeping pill.

All of the above tell you it is you already have a problem, proper lighting will prevent the problem.

Popper357

11-02-2005, 01:25 PM

Yes, this is warm, sunny weather.

My garage door is my big concern. It's a hollow steel door and I could get in it quickly. I've got some ideas but how do you stop a hydro jack? I can't think of any solid ways. I'll upgrade my g door and look into and alarm for now. CCTV would be great. My dog would hear someone tampering with the door unless she's sleeping in bed with me. Normally, she can hear things at night that I can't and she wakes and barks to any unusual sound. An alarm would help get the word out.

My garage entry door is steel and has a huge steel latch jam with 3" screws into the double studs and the hinges. I boarded up the only window and covered the ouside with ply. Someone would need to wake the neighborhood with a sledge to get through my entry door. But that overhead door is lacking

northeastpropertymgmt

11-03-2005, 12:28 PM

a family freind has a lot with a supple yard and his shope and it is all fences in with chain linked fence with barbed wire and he has 2 dobies and camaras he was brokeninto once with every thing stollen and then he got this curent stet up. i dont think crooks even think about trying to get in. he also as a crew of guys that at night to mantnes on the equetment so he is pritty safe but he spent alote of money the dogs were alote and the cameras were very price cuz he has them all over and the only entrice is gated and u need a pin or a card to get in but he spent alote on it

dnelmo

11-03-2005, 02:43 PM

Bright exterior lighting has proven to be effective.

If you decide to get a watchdog be sure and check with your homeowners insurance company. Last spring I was going to switch insurance companies to get lower rates. The company asked if I had dogs and what type. My two dogs are each 3/4 Collie and 1/4 German Shepherd. The company turned be down because of the German Shepherd in my dogs - they claim that they will have an aggressive nature and might attack someone. It didn't matter if that someone was a burglar.

Go figure.

dnelmo

hosejockey2002

11-03-2005, 03:00 PM

My garage door is my big concern. It's a hollow steel door and I could get in it quickly. I've got some ideas but how do you stop a hydro jack? I can't think of any solid ways.

A simple way to make your garage door more secure is to clamp a C clamp into the track just above the top roller. This makes it nearly impossible to roll the door up by any means. They could still get in, but any method they could use would be difficult, noisy and time consuming.

northwest lawn

11-05-2005, 10:24 PM

i put a tire iron in the track to stop the door from rolling up and down

UNISCAPER

11-06-2005, 10:20 AM

At one point in life, a former wife was a breeder, and trainer of narcotics dection and seeing eye dogs. We raised German Sheperds. Very true, you have a dog, burglars will leave you alone. But, let me add. Consider a female. There is one thing that can allow an hours time for theif to take (equipment) anything around any male dog.

You bring in a ***** in heat, and as soon as the two are tied, they ain't going anywhere for an hour, and if you remove the family jewels, the dog will not be as aggressive. Female dogs take full control of a situation because even if they go into heat, they still get the say as to when their unit gets serviced. Kind of like how I vaguely remember the bar scene 30 years ago.:):)

I don't have an inside yard, but it is fenced. We have 7000 very low amperage volts running through the fence. Each trailer is equipped with a model T coil and a 12 volt battery. When you touch the metal after the alarm is armed, you complete the circut. Get the drift?

The only risk of liability we run is if there is a common theif using a pace maker, because the juice could stop his heart, and in most states, if someone is killed by a device you install even during a break in, you could get charged with something.

Back to dogs. When I lived with my ex dog breathe wife, we had a brake in while out to a movie. Ham, our 140 lb solid black sheperd was inside, and his MO was not ever to make a sound until someone did get in...The theif got 150 stitches. We got sued. It was covered by homeowners insurance, and got this peice of road kill got $23,000 steeled out of court by the insurance company. I only wish the insurance industries would push these idiodic cases to the highest level, making them not pencil out for scum sucking morons like burglars.

Other than a hyper Pemroke Welsh Corgi, my daughters and wife love, I am proud to say we are doggless. Once having 17 of the food gulping mutts in my ownership kind of did away with any feelings I may have had for a dog in my life. Dogs are basically a 3 letter word for work, and I have enough of that without adding an animal that I don't have time to care for into the mix.

I am not slamming anyone who is a dog lover, and I love dogs----- as long as they are someone elses!!!! If you do go the dog route, make sure you have the time to properly care and feed one.

northeastpropertymgmt

11-06-2005, 04:42 PM

the dogs are always properly cared for they have a big aria durring the day that they are in and have lots of space to run. they are trainned so that is someone braks in they will atack it so i am ssure that he has some specal insuance and he had to put upo signs that say wach dog and keep out

hole in one lco

11-06-2005, 06:05 PM

im more in to caching them. You can go to your nearest car audio store and get a paging system for your car. You can put it on your garage door with a mercury switch and the pager stays with you . Its all about surprise

NNJLandman

11-06-2005, 08:20 PM

Why a dog, comon guys simple things like dead bolts, motion lights, camera systems, proper lighting. Dead bolts will make the door a tougher to anyone who might try to kick the door in. Motion lights are very simple, just get your self a something at your local hardware store or have an electrician install them around doorways and the property, a light comes on during the night, alerting police and scaring off burglarers. Also even just lights, basically like street lights to illuminate the area will keep the bad guys away, the darkness is their advantage take it away from them. You can also go onto ebay or online stores and find an easy to install camera system. Just my 2 cents, these are some things I have done to my garage.

My garage entry door is steel and has a huge steel latch jam with 3" screws into the double studs and the hinges.

If they want in there going to get in. I watched a show years ago about deadbolts and steel framed doors. They had a break in and the doors where still locked. They found out they where using a Portapower to open the door frame 2 inches and pushed open the door. When they where done the frame would relax enough the door closed again. Which a portapower you can pop almost anything.

you want to steel my stuff you will pay and no i wont turn you into the police

yrdandgardenhandyman

11-16-2005, 08:14 PM

Bright exterior lighting has proven to be effective.

If you decide to get a watchdog be sure and check with your homeowners insurance company. Last spring I was going to switch insurance companies to get lower rates. The company asked if I had dogs and what type. My two dogs are each 3/4 Collie and 1/4 German Shepherd. The company turned be down because of the German Shepherd in my dogs - they claim that they will have an aggressive nature and might attack someone. It didn't matter if that someone was a burglar.

Go figure.

dnelmo

That's because some criminals will sue your insurance company and some stupid jury will award the criminal huge $'s. Makes for a nicer stay in the penitentiary and keeps Bubba off his back......